Maria Sibylla Merian ~ April 2, 1647 – January 13, 1717 She was a German-born naturalist and scientific illustrator, a descendant of the Frankfurt branch of the Swiss Merian family. Merian was one of the first naturalists to observe insects directly. Merian received her artistic training from her stepfather, Jacob Marrel, a student of the still life painter Georg Flegel. Merian published her first book of natural illustrations in 1675. She had started to collect insects as an adolescent and at age thirteen she raised silk worms. In 1679 Merian published the first volume of a two-volume series on caterpillars, the second volume followed in 1683. Each volume contained 50 plates engraved and etched by Merian. Merian documented evidence on the process of metamorphosis and the plant hosts of 186 European insect species. Along with the illustrations Merian included a descriptions of their life cycles. In 1699 Merian travelled to Dutch Surinam to study and record the tropical insects. In 1705 she published Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium. Few colour images of the New World were printed before 1700 and thus Merian's Metamorphosis has been credited with influencing a range of naturalist illustrators. Because of her careful observations and documentation of the metamorphosis of the butterfly, she is considered by David Attenborough to be among the most significant contributors to the field of entomology. She was a leading entomologist of her time and she discovered many new facts about insect life through her studies. #MariaSibyllaMerian#Women#WomensRights#HumanRights

Maria Sibylla Merian, THE WOMAN WHO TURNED SCIENCE INTO ART... Merian was a German-born naturalist and scientific illustrater. She was one of the first naturalists to observe insects directly. Merian was also a pioneer in emancipating herself from the social ties that ristricted the freedom and curiosity of women. #artclubchadvaleprimary#mariasibyllamerian

#Repost@britishmuseum • • • • • It’s #BritishScienceWeek and #WomensHistoryMonth, so we’re sharing the work of three trailblazing naturalists and artists – Maria Sibylla Merian and her daughters, Dorothea Graff and Johanna Herolt. Maria Sibylla Merian was an unconventional figure in the scientific world of the late 17th century. Few contemporaries could match her sophisticated combination of art and science. In 1699 she travelled with Dorothea to Surinam in South America, where they made intricate illustrations of plants and animals native to the area. Merian returned to Amsterdam in 1701 and published her research – the first scientific work produced about the region. Merian trained her two daughters to be equally adept natural history artists. The first image depicting a caterpillar and a bitter orange is by Merian, the second is attributed to Graff, and the last is considered to be a collaboration between Merian and Herolt – the bird and butterfly are by Maria, but the fig branch is by Johanna 🍊🐛 #BSW2019#WHM2019#science#MariaSibyllaMerian#illustration#drawing#NaturalHistory#BritishMuseum#London#UK

It’s #BritishScienceWeek and #WomensHistoryMonth, so we’re sharing the work of three trailblazing naturalists and artists – Maria Sibylla Merian and her daughters, Dorothea Graff and Johanna Herolt. Maria Sibylla Merian was an unconventional figure in the scientific world of the late 17th century. Few contemporaries could match her sophisticated combination of art and science. In 1699 she travelled with Dorothea to Surinam in South America, where they made intricate illustrations of plants and animals native to the area. Merian returned to Amsterdam in 1701 and published her research – the first scientific work produced about the region. Merian trained her two daughters to be equally adept natural history artists. The first image depicting a caterpillar and a bitter orange is by Merian, the second is attributed to Graff, and the last is considered to be a collaboration between Merian and Herolt – the bird and butterfly are by Maria, but the fig branch is by Johanna 🍊🐛 #BSW2019#WHM2019#science#MariaSibyllaMerian#illustration#drawing#NaturalHistory#BritishMuseum#London#UK

Maria Sibyllia Merian (1647-1717) Golden Tagu Lizard Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinanensium Published, Amsterdam, 1705 Engraving with original hand-coloring. Maria Sibylla Merian was the daughter of the printmaker Matthias Merian, and the step-daughter of the still-life painter Jacob Marrel. She was a talented artist, who was trained in flower painting by Marrel. From an early age, she was fascinated by insects and their life cycles, and undertook research into the phenomenon of metamorphosis, which was then only partially understood. She published her findings in a series of books, illustrated with beautifully-composed plates in which each insect life-cycle was illustrated on the appropriate food plant. In 1699, having encountered exotic insects in the cabinets of natural history collectors in Amsterdam, Merian and her younger daughter Dorothea set sail for Suriname, in South America, which was then a Dutch colony. There, they studied the life cycles of Surinamese insects until their return to Europe in 1701. Merian published her Surinamese research as the Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium (The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname) in 1705. The book was very well-received, and by her death Merian was well-regarded throughout Europe as both an entomologist and an artist. #mariamerian#mariasibyllamerian#womenartist#naturalhistoryart

62/365 - Maria Sibylla Merian (1647 – 1717) ‘was a German-born naturalist and scientific illustrator. Merian was one of the first naturalists to observe insects directly.’ - wiki. After her father died, her mothers new husband, a painter, encouraged her to start painting and drawing at a young age. At one point she published a two-volume series on caterpillars! David Attenborough said she was one of the ‘most significant contributors to the field of entomology.’ #MariaSibyllaMerian#greatwomenartists#drawingpeopleeveryday

“There is nothing less cosy than a room that feels too formal”, says designer Kit Kemp. She combines elements of the traditional English room with a bright palette and a few well-chosen pieces. In her bedroom, she dressed a four-poster bed with our hand embroidered fabric inspired by the 17th Century botanical illustrator, Maria Sibylla Merian. The bed curtains are backed in our hand screen-printed fabric ‘raindrops’ in a custom colour. #chelseatextiles#kitkemp#mariasibyllamerian#handembroidery#custom

The chrysalis that inspired the corset/canvas on which I embroidered the two works inspired by Maria Sibylla Merian. The tiny golden details of the chrysalis are also mirrored along the edge of the binding with miyuki beads.